BuckBee

5 hours ago, JackThompson said:

When did immigration policy towards Westerners "bounce" in our direction in recent years (or decades)?  Looks like a one-way street to me.

It's a narrow street but some dropped polices on in and outs and days allowed in country was a small benefit .

Currently those in charge not interested in making anything easy for westerners as we not best match for the Junta future .

4 hours ago, marcusarelus said:

Rules have not bounced anywhere.  They have raised the period of seasoning once in 20 years and the amount to be deposited in a Thai bank once in 20 years.  The Pound crashing vs Baht has effected tourism. 

immigration rules have bounced back and forth quite a bit in last 2 decades if look beyond just one area of retirement funds .

^

too right it greatly underestimated.

If you look at the western expat volume from early 2000's to current and amount of services they used and money they spent it was huge .

Current immigration issues is mainly those in charge are anti westerner due to political reasons and reducing anti Junta vibes .

Rules have bounced back and forth for decades so anything possible but I doubt ever be like was, western interest in Thailand has fallen drastically and other asian countries are taking the clientele happily ...

just as likely get issue with an metv as an setv

4 back to back with minimal time out country has risks .

For small amount of hassle you can fly to malaysia and come in by land boarder .

Getting hassle at swampy would be a total ballache and huge expense in flights .

Put in small amount of effort along with belt and braces approach and your reward is no drama entry .

Go with your own instincts as no one on here going know your exact history like you do or truly know how immigration at swampy going react, your own due diligence is your best friend not immigration advice from strangers on a forum ...

TM30 and reporting in 24hrs been the law for decades but it wasn't enforced generally unless some offices wanted hassle you/easy fine money .

Currently it is being enforced and it is a complete PITA process if unable get paperwork together you get trapped in a thai groundhog day .

Immigration also not doing other visa requests until a TM30 issue resolved so many people currently finding out the hard way over this.

I never done one in decades but if I went changwattana on Monday I be fined and need sort one before they move on with any other immigration services .

Certainly worth getting up to speed on tm30 rules an paperwork ...

^

yes, you should be fine with that strategy, just research nearer time as things constantly changing & it those without due diligence that tend get caught out from a poor choice .

Realy don't see the harm of 2 or 3 back to back setv, if they had any sense they make it max of 3 then you got go to your home country/have time out/proof of funds etc and any refusal be in the computer system and you be unable enter at any boarder.

Current scenario of getting balls busted at swampy or DM and put in cell and refused entry yet able fly out and come back through a land border even same day if can make it that quick with a smile and a wai is plain stupid mess .

Only thing more messy is the TM30 scenario lol, only thai's can implement such poorly thought out policy and make good money from it lol .

46 minutes ago, BrakkaToss said:

 well, thing is, I booked flights to Kuala Lumpur, coz always wanted to go there. Only after, I thought about these stupid problems. So yeah, my mistake. :)) 

Well you be far wiser throwing you ticket away over risking issues at airport immi entry .

Days of doing trips you want are long gone, you got choose what best for entry success over any personal preference of travel

56 minutes ago, mngmn said:

But how could they know that by looking at your passport? Many countries do not stamp your passport now.

That a good point and reason I got questioned once as they couldn't see I had been home and missed the fact by visually flicking through my passport .

Even a history print out was not accurate and IO had go away and print out another but I never got see that as they caved in with polite reasoning and realising don't get a visa or stamp in my home country lol .

4 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Oh. So you and your racist Thai friends think that westerners are better than others? Well, the Thai government doesn’t think so. I don’t remember reading any reports about Korean expats hurling insults at bar owners or Philippino teachers brawling on the streets of Pattaya.

It’s probably this condescending and superior attitude that causes IO’s to deny entry to some farangs.


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Seems you one with some attitude and racism vibes . I'm Singaporean so pretty relaxed with asians and westerners .

Try retailing with tour groups of chinese tourists and see how much of a headache you get and for hardly no sales lol .

As for Philippine teachers, huge amount thai parents and students complain about the low quality of teaching but they here as those at top like the low cost and kept it easy for them to legally work in teaching .

^ it can be at airports

i've had hassle when been out of country for 10 months and they seen previous setv stickers in my passport

I live and work from singapore and any time here is purely leisure but recent gastapo training at swampy and DM means anyone with fair bit of history (more so if passport shows most of it, they don't see it on computers easily unless system flags you) could get ballache if you get wrong immigration officer and take a dislike to each other .

I always been able talk matters through but some of the staff are total dragons and making up rules and give you false information so you got be up to speed (know what forms/stamps say if don't read thai via research and prepared politely stand your ground) .

9 hours ago, phuketrichard said:

so ur trying to live somewhere on the wrong visa and now working without a eb visa/extension

wow... ur just the kind of person SE Asian countries wants.

 

He not working, figure of expression 'working on getting a SETV in PP'

The OP seems pretty decent honest guy and not exactly been here on yrs of entries so no real need bust his balls or not even read the posts well .

Airports have got pretty nasty, even with visas and not many entries they spending lot of time flicking the passport pages ...

On 4/20/2019 at 4:40 AM, Pattaya46 said:

At Phnom Penh I was said that if they already have your fingerprints then they don't ask again at next travels.

 

That would make the main benefit of having fingerprints useless, main purpose is check individual travelling is indeed who passport was originally issued to and fingerprinting every time makes it real hard use modified black market passports .

Don't check it everytime and it nothing but expensive gimmick .

Can't see it it being enforced well in thailand once equipment and servers neglected .

Just look at the piles of forms dumped 5ft high at bangkok immigration, they really cutting edge on data management .

No photos and you pay 20 to 40baht more .

really easy process as pretty flexible as long as you paying lol

bit like thailand use to be ...

Is one of those scenarios with no clear rule, good chance no issue with elite paperwork evidence but I would have a cheap ticket online booking plan as belt and braces backup ...

Bit of a mess this as for genuine tourist/leasure people it not their fault rental places not following the law.

Immigration either need drop the tm30 or put some effort in and when people turn up witthout tm30 ring hotel/appartment and validate the foriegner stays there and send in paperwork for the fine .

As is the only people getting ballache is the foreigner and if not their property or relations it got sweet fa do with them sort it out or suffer due to thai laziness .

These days avoiding airports if you got 2 or 3 back to backs can be wise precaution .

Quite a lot see and do in savan if make effort for one evening/night, live music/food, even got viet girls if that a fancy .

Take tour bus or minivan to mukdahan bus station then buy bus ticket to savanakhet.

Don't get cheaper or easier than this for regional setv, prepare docs for visa in advance although can do opposite consulate but waste of money for p155 poor advice/service .

I've done round trip from bkk including visa fee, hotel etc for under 4K baht and enjoyed the trip, savanakhet not that bad if get off your butt & go out for a meal and a lao beer, avoid tuk-tuks or at least only pay them a dollar or 2, no need use them go consulate or back to border as bus station just up road from consulate, people waste good money being driven about in atuk-tuk in a rush for absolute no reason .

I would not mention GF, can get messy and sometimes they want call the GF, seen it cause issue few times at land borders .

Doubt you have much of an issue if well prepared and have polite manner should get questioned .

^

That is thai speciality ...

12 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Trying to compare the Cambodia e visa to what is being offered is almost like apples and oranges since it is only a 30 day single entry visa that is the same as their visa on arrival.

Thailand has a site for a 15 day visa on arrival the is about equal to it.

Thailand offers a 30 day visa exempt entry for many nationalities so do not really need a site for a 30 day visa on arrival. Cambodia only offers a visa exempt entry to a very short list of countries and only few of them are for 30 days. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Cambodia

The online application they are starting to do now is for all types of visas not just a 30 day entry. 

 

I'm aware it for all visas but it simply not efficient way deal with it as visa complexity varies drastically from a simple tourist visa to an O visa .

Point of mentioning cambodias evisa is it shows the ideal way do it for tourist visa (electronic issue accepted at designated entry points)

Thai system and rules are currently a big mess and when this system expands (which is planned) will be worse than is now unless adapt it to be efficient for users .

2 hours ago, BritTim said:

I believe this is a totally different option to the one that is described on the London Embassy website. In fact, they explain that it will be a somewhat different visa to the normal tourist visa, and limited to tourist visas. I do not actually think it is going to happen (at least in the short term). However, it comes from an organisation that handles the current eVisa on Arrival for nationals that qualify, so they do have some high level contacts to lobby for them.

for company handling visas they got some serious wrong details in that page for tourist visas for british nationals , not very expert and not very professional lol ...

A digital tourist visa would be great for all including offshore workers etc.

Cambodia done it well for years, Thailand unfortunately likes make a right mess of visa rules and visa issuing .

The whole immigration process currently quite a shambles for expats to tourists ????

^

Lot of errors in info in that link .

When this starts you will not get a digital visa but the option choose a consulate/embassy to go with your docs to get the visa.

It may in time for simplest visas not requiring much paperwork evidence to have a digital issued visa but from what I seen to date it going be a step backwards for countries using it and more so for brits as the uk embassy postal visa was superb service .

This system will become the norm for 1st world passport holders and you will have do online visa request even when in the region once all consulates/embassies get hooked to the servers .

Prices gone up too which nice lol ....

3 hours ago, riclag said:

Hi, Can you post that source  on the new requirements for online visa and price change

http://www.thaiembassy.org/london/en/services

plenty info on here and web in general over the evisa system.

will probably be effective in regional embassy/consulates in year or 2 for most western nations I expect .